(Friends, I was not able to finish the adoption post planned for today because we were busy celebrating a birthday yesterday! So, instead I’m plugging in a recipe post that was ready and waiting and I will be back Thursday with the adoption post.) Last year I set out to use my cookbooks more often and to give my reviews here on the blog, and I have a few new ones to share this week! Today's recipe is a Three-Cheese Quiche from Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Table. My daughter and I served this at our Winter Wonderland Tea. I made the crust, and she made the filling. It was our first time making it, but fortunately, it was a hit! Three-Cheese Quiche 6 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream ... Read more
Wooden Clothespin Nativity
Hey there! I want to quickly show y'all this sweet clothespin nativity we made last week. Last Friday our dear little neighbor friends and their mama came for "Cookies, Cocoa, and a Craft"! I'd been seeing different versions of these clothespin Nativity crafts all over the internet and came up with my own version. I really wanted to do them with our co-op kids, but it just wasn't going to be doable with the number of kids we had and the short time frame to work. If we'd used wood glue, it wouldn't dry in time to take them home, leaving me only with the option of hot glue which I NEVER use with a crowd of kids. Those things are hot! I remember in one of my elementary art ed classes in ... Read more
Snapshot Saturday: A Week of Meals
Today's snapshots are all about food! I'm a food pic girl. If someone posts a photo of their lunch, cookie, or cup of coffee I immediately think, 'Oh, that looks good! I hope they share the recipe!' I also like to take pictures of my own plates of food (My kids and husband will attest to that!) as a way of sort of cataloging meal ideas. Today I’m sharing pictures of the meals we ate this week. I challenged myself to make as many meals as I could with what I already had in the fridge, freezer, and pantry and make them as healthy and colorful as possible. If food pics aren't your thing, I get it and it won't hurt my feelings if want to skip this post and check back another day. ... Read more
Fun Treats for Your Easter Peeps
Good morning, peeps! I'm popping in here quickly to share some very simple ideas for cute Easter treats! I don't think there's anyone who doesn't get excited at the first sighting of Easter Peeps each spring. I'll tell you a secret though: I don't really love eating the peeps, but I do have a lot of fun using them in what I call "food crafts". First up, fruit skewers with peeps gets some healthy fruit in the kids' diets but with a small sugary treat that says "Easter"! My girls and I made these precious bunny peep cars one year with Twinkies for the car body, pretzels for the steering wheel, and jumbo marshmallows for the tires. These were a hit with all our little cousins. Aren't ... Read more
Scarecrow Treats and a Fall Bible Lesson
The following post is one I put together last year but did not get worked into my posting schedule before the fall season was over. I've just about missed it for this fall too! Today I have couple of fall goodies that my son and I have been working on for his friends and cousins. I started doing these when my girls were younger so it’s been a lot of fun to repeat with my son. Candy scarecrows are so cute to pass out to the kiddos for a fall treat! You just need a box of raisins for the torso, Smarties for the legs, Tootsie Rolls for the arms, a round candy for the head, and some raffia for the neck straw. Use hot glue to attach candy pieces together in the shape of a scarecrow. Of ... Read more
Communion Bread Recipe
The pandemic has definitely changed many of our normal activities, and I can say with all certainty that what our family has missed most has been meeting in person with our church family each Sunday. We are at least blessed to gather remotely for Sunday morning worship, and a special part of those online gatherings is the inclusion of the Lord's Supper. When isolation first started back in March, I made a batch of communion bread, freezing much of it and never imagining the pandemic would last long enough for us to use up the whole batch, but I've already made two batches since we've been home. I know many of you already have your own recipe for communion bread, and for that reason I had put ... Read more
Hello, Instant Pot!
Any Instant Pot people out there? I may be way behind on the trend, but after having absolutely no interest for the last year in purchasing and making room in my cabinets for another appliance, I finally took the plunge and got one! What finally won me over? Well, besides learning that I could cook frozen meat in an hour, and dried beans in less than an hour without presoaking, what really stopped me in my tracks was hearing about the EASY PEEL EGGS!!! WHAT?! I love boiled eggs, egg salad, deviled eggs, you name it. But I absolutely loath peeling the eggs! So much so, that when I ask a hostess what I can bring to a meal, I’m secretly saying in my mind, “Please no deviled eggs, please ... Read more
Caprese Tomatoes
Hello, friends! Welcome to the first of three Italian cooking posts! It will be my own little “Tour of Italy”! I'm in a cooking club that meets every other month. Each of the women in the group takes a turn hosting and choosing the menu. We're notified of the theme about a month in advance to allow us time to decide on our recipes. We can either select new recipes to try, or bring our signature dish for the featured menu. I enjoy sampling the dishes all the ladies contribute. It's always an outstanding meal, and I come home with some great new recipes! Plus, we just have a lot of fun and do a lot of laughing! Our group met earlier this week and our hostess chose an Italian theme. I took a ... Read more